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Why Has Russell Crowe Continued to Work After Allegedly Spitting on Azealia Banks, Calling Her the N-Word?
Since a number of male celebrities have been exposed for sexual misconduct, sexual assault or mistreating women over the past several months, some have lost their jobs, others endorsements and some have taken a beating in the court of public opinion. But not the actor Russell Crowe.
After he was accused of physically assaulting Azealia Banks in the fall of 2016, he’s continued to book work and will appear in future films like “Boy Erased” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”
It’s a point that Los Angeles rapper Vince Staples made when he was commenting on the Bruno Mars, cultural appropriation debate that’s hit the Internet. According to Vince, the actor has gotten off scot-free with the alleged assault and people shouldn’t be comfortable with that at all. Especially when so many others have lost their jobs before all of the facts were actually proven.
“I wonder when ya’ll gonna make a YouTube about Russell Crowe from the ‘Gladiator’ spitting at Azealia Banks?” wrote Vince. “Ya’ll let Russell Crowe spit at Azealia Banks, but if Tyler Perry spit at Taylor Swift, it would be no more ‘Madea’ movies. Lol. But I’m serious.”
As we previously reported, Banks, along with Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA, attended a private party thrown by the actor. At the time, Banks and RZA were filming the movie “Love Beats Rhymes,” which the Wu member directed and Banks starred in.
During the party, Banks and Crowe got into a heated argument, and according to the rapper he spat on her, choked her, called her the N-Word, then threw her out. But Crowe denied it and said he simply escorted the rapper off the premises when she started making threats.
But during an interview on “The Breakfast Club” RZA backed Bank’s story and said Crowe spit in her direction, as to say that’s how much she’s worth.
“He spit at her,” said the producer and director.
“Did you check him at that point?” asked the co-host Charlamagne? “That’s a white dude spitting at a Black woman. You had to check him.”
“Yeah, he apologized to me, but the night was crazy, bro.” RZA responded.
From there, Banks continued to blast the Wu member for not defending her, which she first started doing after the incident. During that time, she also talked about how the whole experience humiliated her, because she was accused of lying for attention.
So when the Harlem rapper saw Vince’s post, it obviously brought up some of those hurt feelings, which she shared on his page. Banks also agreed with his point about Taylor Swift, and she used Kanye West interrupting her at the “MTV Video Music Awards” as an example.
“Crazy,” she wrote underneath Vince’s post. “All Kanye did was say excuse me then take Taylor’s mic … And they damn near cancelled him. Crowe choked me, spat on me, called me a n—er and is still being booked for work. It’s insane that he really got away with that.”
Some might say the obvious question here is if Banks has made it hard for people to defend her after she’s been involved in so much drama and social media beefs.
Others, however, might say none of that matters and regardless what she’s done in the past, more people should’ve stuck up for her, especially since #METoo and other such movements began.
In December of 2016, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said it wouldn’t be pursuing a case against Crowe for the party incident due to a lack of evidence. There were also people who were present that night who claimed Banks was the aggressor.
https://twitter.com/vincestaples/status/973049572820893697
YALL LET RUSSELL CROWE SPIT AT AZEALIA BANKS BUT IF TYLER PERRY SPIT AT TAYLOR SWIFT IT WOULD BE NO MORE MEDEAS MOVIES. LOL BUT IM SERIOUS
— vince (@vincestaples) March 12, 2018
